Here are 10 easy homemade sauce, seasoning and dessert recipes you can make when you don’t have an ingredient or just when you want to save time and money!
I don’t know about you but it never fails that I find myself getting ready to cook something and I discover I’ve run out of an ingredient. I wanted to share some of the easy homemade sauce, seasoning and dessert recipes from Dining On A Dime Cookbook Volume 1 that you can make at home. These recipes will not only save you time but also money!
Easy Homemade Sauce, Seasoning And Dessert Recipes
This homemade enchilada sauce recipe is quick and easy to make! It’s great when you don’t happen to have any enchilada sauce on hand or you want to save a little money!
Homemade Enchilada Sauce Recipe
1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 Tbsp. chili powder
5 Tbsp. green pepper, chopped (optional)
1 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. salt (more to taste)
Combine all ingredients in saucepan, mixing well. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened. Makes 2 cups.
Homemade Taco Seasoning
6 tsp. chili powder
3 tsp. onion powder
4 1/2 tsp. cumin
2 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
5 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. oregano
Mix all ingredients and store in an airtight container. One teaspoon of homemade taco seasoning equals 2 teaspoons of the store-bought seasoning.
Homemade Pudding
Vanilla Pudding
1/3 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
pinch salt
2 eggs, slightly beaten
2 cups milk
2 Tbsp. butter or margarine, softened (not soft type)
2 tsp. vanilla
Mix the sugar, cornstarch and salt in a 2 quart saucepan. Add the eggs to the sugar mixture and slowly stir in the milk until combined.
Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute. Remove from heat.
Stir in margarine and vanilla. Cool slightly, pour into dessert dishes and chill. You can also top with nuts or whipped topping. Serves 4-6.
Chocolate Pudding
Stir 3 tablespoons of cocoa into the sugar cornstarch mixture.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Pudding
Stir 1/4 cup peanut butter into the chocolate pudding. Omit margarine.
Butterscotch Pudding
Substitute 2/3 cup packed brown sugar in place of the sugar and decrease vanilla to 1 teaspoon.
Homemade Self-Rising Flour
4 cups flour
2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. baking powder
Mix the ingredients well and store in an airtight container. Use in recipes calling for self-rising flour. Makes 4 cups.
Homemade Shake And Bake
4 cups flour
4 cups soda crackers, crushed
4 Tbsp. salt
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. onion powder
3 Tbsp. paprika
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Mix well and store indefinitely in the refrigerator in a covered container. Moisten the chicken pieces with milk or water. Pour about 2 cups mixture, or more if needed, into a plastic bag. Place chicken pieces, one at a time, in the bag and shake until evenly coated. Bake coated chicken pieces in a greased shallow pan at 350 degrees for 45 60 minutes. Discard plastic bag with unused coating. DO NOT reuse extra coating that has come into contact with raw chicken!
Homemade Garlic Mayonnaise
1/2 qt. jar of mayonnaise
4-5 cloves of garlic, pressed or 1 tsp. garlic powder
Mix pressed garlic with mayonnaise. Refrigerate for at least one day before using. Great on sandwiches, chicken, fish or with vegetables. Makes 2 cups.
Easy Homemade Ketchup Recipe
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
3 Tbsp. sugar
very small dash of cinnamon
1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. vinegar
Pour tomato sauce into a small saucepan and boil away some of the water until it begins to thicken. Add the sugar, cinnamon and vinegar. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes longer. Refrigerate. Warning: Go easy on the cinnamon because it’s easy to put in too much. Then every time you eat it you’re thinking “cinnamon” instead of “ketchup.”
Homemade Kettle Corn
1/2 cup popcorn
Vegetable oil
3 Tbsp. white sugar
Heat oil in medium pan until hot. Add popcorn and sprinkle all of the sugar over it. Cover and shake continuously until popped.
Homemade Easy Orange Marmalade
1 orange*
1 Tbsp. water
1/2 cup sugar
Cut the un-peeled orange and place it into a blender or food processor with the water. Pour the mixture into a saucepan with the sugar and boil for 15 minutes.
*If you use a non-organic orange, wash it thoroughly.
Homemade Soda Crackers
2 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. soda
1/4 cup margarine
1/2 cup buttermilk or sour milk
1 egg
Combine the flour, salt and soda in a bowl. Cut in margarine with a pastry blender or two knives. Stir in buttermilk and egg. Form a ball and knead a few times. Divide the dough into several pieces and roll out very thin on a floured board. Lay rolled-out dough on ungreased baking sheets. Sprinkle with salt and prick with a fork. Cut into 1 1/2 inch squares with a pizza cutter or sharp knife. Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Makes several dozen.
These easy homemade sauce, seasoning and dessert recipes are from our cookbook! Check it out here:
Save Money On Groceries And Make Meals Easier! (Sale Up To 50% Off!)
Click here to get our Dining On A Dime Cookbooks SALE Up To 50% Off NOW! They’re filled with tasty recipes and tips to make your life easier!
We usually make a big batch of marmalade in January, when the Seville oranges are available.
Regarding the taco seasoning, how many teaspoons of the mix would you suggest using per pound of meat?
That is really personal preference. It would be like how much salt you would like on something. I would add 1 tsp. taste it add a second and keep trying it. I love my stuff spicy and hot so I would use about 4 times the amount of a normal person but just keep adding until you have the taste you want.
This might help too. On a store bought package it says to add 2 tsp.per pound of meat and you use this exactly the same as the store bought. So if that is what you normally use from a store bought pkg. then this is what you would use here.
Just discovered how easy it is to make homemade brown sugar! Will never buy it again!!! White sugar + molasses!
WOW—how much of each?
Not sure what you are asking Leigh.
I think she was probably asking what ratio molasses to white sugar…
Thanks Eldred. You are probably right. You use 1 cup white sugar and 1 Tablespoon molasses.
What exactly is “soda” in the crackers?
It is baking soda.
Awesome! How much sugar and how much molasses?
Oh I just found the answer in other replies! Will try this soon. Thanks!
Tablespoon of molasses for every cup of sugar to make light brown sugar and 2 Tblsp. for each cup sugar for dark brown sugar
Chocolate Peanut Butter Pudding sounds like a must-try!
Hi Jill: just wanted to say I use the taco seasoning all the time and the recipe has saved us quite a bit. I make it a little spicier with more pepper, it works great. I also like having it stored in an 8 oz canning jar, rather than storing those little packets in my pantry!
Good idea about the canning jar Donna. I would imagine the jar works better too because those packets are hard to store and keep organized even when put in baskets and things.You don’t have to worry about sealing the packets shut or loosing them in the pile of other packets.
I was expecting something more ‘exotic’ I guess. Just about everything store-bought can be homemade; that’s what people did before convenience foods. The only things on this page I haven’t done are enchilada sauce (don’t like it), marmalade (don’t eat it that often), and saltines/soda crackers, which I may try at mom’s house since I don’t have counter space for rolling out dough.
Once you return to making things at home you’ll probably find that you like yours better. I made homemade tapioca pudding last night (just follow the directions on the bag of tapioca) and I forgot how good it was compared to ready made and ended up making a second batch. I may try adding brown sugar and see if it comes out butterscotch-y.
Homemade pudding was one of the 1st things my grandma taught me how to make. So much tastier than store-bought…I think. It also works wonderfully to pour in a pie crust for a homemade cream pie. Yum! I’ve never made homemade soda crackers. I do believe I’ll have to try this! Thanks for the recipe!
I haven’t made it in a while, but if you buy your tapioca at the Asian Market it is WAY cheaper, and its in diferent sizes
I have really enjoyed using the taco seasoning recipe. I tend to add an extra tsp or two of cumin for that extra “taco” flavor. Delicious! Not long ago we had “taco night” at our house and invited a few guests over. They were all astonished that I actually made the taco seasoning. It is that good!
Funny thing about ketchup — There was a time when when it was Only made in homes, and recipes varied from region to region, even in different households, much like barbecue sauces today. Then the food manufacturer’s marketed a product they called”ketchup” and sold it nationwide. By the late 20th century, THAT bottled product became the “standard” for ketchup, and people never even Thought about making it themselves, didn’t know they could. I made and canned a homemade ketchup back in the late 80’s that everyone loved as a condiment “sauce” but they didn’t like it if I referred to it as ‘ketchup’. I guess people don’t like their ideas of what constitutes certain foods contested! (Also they don’t know history.)